Nike/US Lacrosse South Boys' Region Report

Player of the Week

Hunter Sanna, Milton (Ga.)

The senior middie played a key role in Milton's win over
defending Class 6A champion Centennial, winning 19 of the 22
faceoffs he took. An all-state player last year, Sanna has played
especially well in big games this season. He won 83 percent of his
faceoffs in a 12-11 win over Walton (Ga.) earlier this season, and
he likely will be an important factor as the Eagles head into a
stretch of games in Florida at the end of this week. Sanna is
committed to play at Siena College.

Game of the Week

This is a matchup of two South region ranked teams that just
suffered their first losses within the last week and a half. A win
for either team would be a nice confidence boost during an
important time in the schedule. Jupiter will be heading into
district tournament time the week of April 14, and Centennial is
trying to kick it up a notch during the last full month of its
season. This is the Warriors' first out-of-state game since 2012
when they lost 11-6 to California's Cathedral Catholic. The Knights
are playing Lake Mary (Fla.) the night before this game. Centennial
went 2-1 against Florida teams last year en route to winning the
Georgia Class 6A title.

South Region Top 10

1. Episcopal Dallas (Texas), 10-1The Eagles move to the top spot with
three wins this week, including an 11-9 victory over defending
state champion St. Mark's (Texas) on March 28. Charlie Sikes made
16 saves in that game, while Jack Beare (three goals, two assists)
and Richie Loftus (two goals, four assists) paced the
offense.

2. Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 9-3The Highlanders appear much improved
since their one in-state loss to Jupiter (Fla.) on March 1. They
added an impressive 13-5 win over Lake Brantley on March 28,
handing the Patriots just their second loss with a five-goal night
from Reid Thedford.

3. Dallas Jesuit (Texas), 10-1The Rangers move up with a 9-7 win
over St. Mark's on March 26 in a game that was tied 6-6 after three
quarters. Gavin McClure led Dallas Jesuit with three goals –
two to open the fourth quarter – and two assists.

4. Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.), 10-0The Crusaders continue to climb as
they added two more wins last week. Gibbons beat Chapel Hill
(N.C.), 12-1, and Germantown (Pa.), 8-4, the latter of which marked
its fifth out-of-state win this season.

5. Barron Collier (Fla.), 10-1The Cougars avoided an upset loss
against Oak Hall (Fla.), pulling out a 7-5 win on March 26, and
they surpass the only team to beat them. Barron Collier has won
five straight since Jupiter edged it 4-3 on March 7. Meanwhile,
Jupiter struggled last week.

6. Jupiter (Fla.), 8-2The Warriors suffered their first
two losses of the season last week, causing them to drop below two
teams they beat earlier this season. Jupiter fell to Vero Beach
(Fla.) 8-7 and to Benjamin (Fla.) 9-5 on back-to-back nights before
rebounding with a 10-9 overtime win over 2012-13 state semifinalist
Ponte Vedra (Fla.).

7. Milton (Ga.), 8-1The Eagles join the list
with a 22-16 win over defending Class 6A champion Centennial on
March 27. Justin Newell led Milton with six goals and three
assists, while Hunter Sanna won 19 of 22 faceoffs. Milton's only
loss was to Lambert (Ga.) by two.

8. Montgomery Bell Academy (Tenn.), 6-2The 2013 state runner-up
Big Red makes its rankings debut with the help of two more wins
last week, including handing Zionsville (Ind.) its first loss.
MBA's two losses were to teams from Maryland, and the Big Red has a
notable win over Louisville Trinity (Ky.).

9. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 8-2The Sharks slip a couple
notches after Jupiter ended an eight-game win streak. Both of Ponte
Vedra's losses this season came in overtime by one goal. They
opened with an 8-7 double overtime loss to Boca Raton in their
first game of the year.

10. Centennial (Ga.), 7-2The Knights hit a rough
patch with two straight losses, including the game against Milton
five days after a one-goal loss to defending Class 5A champion
Westminster. However, they bounced back with a 17-14 win over
previously unbeaten Harrison (Ga.) on March 29.

Notes

There are several big in-state games coming up
that could shake up the South Region rankings. Highland Park (5-3)
and The Woodlands (11-4) both remain teams to watch in Texas and
meet in The Woodlands on April 5. Both were expected to be among
the top five teams in the state this season but struggled against
top competition early on.

***

Another big game this week is in Tennessee,
where McCallie (6-3) travels to play Montgomery Bell (6-2) on April
4. McCallie lost three games to out-of-state opponents but is still
expected to compete for the Tennessee state title. Montgomery Bell
was the state runner-up last year.

***

In North Carolina, Cardinal Gibbons (10-0) plays
Charlotte Catholic (9-1) on April 5. Gibbons is off to an
impressive start despite a challenging schedule, and Catholic's
only loss was to a quality Westminster (Ga.) team that dropped out
of the rankings for now after a second loss, to Northview
(Ga.).

***

Northview, which is 9-0, is one of four teams in
the Peach State still undefeated, joined by North Gwinnett (11-0),
Hillgrove (9-0) and Grayson (10-0).

***

Milton (Ga.) played an exciting game against
Centennial (Ga.), beating the Knights 22-16 last week, but four
main players sparked the Eagles' offensive success. Justin Newell
led the Eagles with six goals, three assists, and three other
players finished with hat tricks -- Austin Hawks (three goals,
three assists), Chad Tolliver (three goals, one assist) and Charlie
Gallagher (three goals, one assist). Griphon Basile gave up 16
goals but made 17 saves. The Eagles' win over Centennial and
Centennial's win over Harrison took Harrison out of the rankings
for now, the Hoyas have just that one loss. Harrison has its
toughest games behind it but could still work back into the
mix.

***

Charlotte Latin (6-0) has two out-of-state wins,
against Memphis University School (Tenn.) and Fort Mill (S.C.), and
also is a team to keep an eye on. Carson Song leads the team with
20 goals and 20 assists, and he is shooting 67 percent this season.
Faceoffs are an area the Hawks could improve in, as they have won
just 49 percent of faceoffs this season.